FORMER Tory leader will bow out of the Commons next year with Prime Minister David Cameron bringing in fresh blood in a bid to revamp ageing Tory front bench.

William Hague has quit as Foreign Secretary and will leave the Commons next year

WILLIAM HAGUE has quit as Foreign Secretary and will leave the Commons next year as David Cameron wielded the axe to clear the way for a new generation to take places at the Cabinet table.

Former Tory leader Hague will replace Andrew Lansley as Leader of the Commons and lead the Conservative campaign in key constituencies until he gives up his safe seat in Richmond, North Yorkshire.

The Prime Minister said Hague had been one of the Conservative Party's "leading lights" for a generation and had been a "close confidante, wise counsellor and great friend".

Mr Hague said: "By the time of the general election next year, I will have served 26 years in the House of Commons and it will be 20 years since I first joined the Cabinet.

"In government there is a balance to strike between experience on the one hand and the need for renewal on the other, and I informed the Prime Minister last summer that I would not be a candidate at the next general election.

"Accordingly I am stepping aside as Foreign Secretary, in order to focus all my efforts on supporting the Government in Parliament and gaining a Conservative victory in the general election."

The shock announcement follows the widely expected decision by Ken Clarke to retire at 74, ending a career in government stretching back to 1972.

Veteran MP Sir George Young also resigned as chief whip, creating another Cabinet-level position for Cameron to fill.

The vacancy at the Foreign Office will be a plum job for Cameron to allocate, but there are also a number of other spots at the Cabinet table and in the lower ministerial ranks for him to award to rising stars as he refreshes his team before the 2015 general election.

Downing Street said the Prime Minister also accepted the resignations of universities minister David Willetts and energy and climate change minister Greg Barker, who will both stand down as MPs next year.

Andrew Robathan quit as a minister in the Northern Ireland Office, while news of Hugh Robertson's resignation from the Foreign Office filtered through while he was on an overseas trip in Beirut.

The Prime Minister is now expected to promote a host of younger talent, including some of the stars of the 2010 intake.

Those tipped for advancement include employment minister Esther McVey – who has been vilified in Scotland for her outspoken support for the Bedroom Tax and welfare cuts on the poorest section of society.

Other MPs tipped for promotion include education minister Liz Truss, ministerial aide Penny Mordaunt, Margot James, Amber Rudd and Harriett Baldwin, as the Tory leader seeks to counter criticism that his government is still dominated by men.

Former Defence Secretary Liam Fox, a darling of the Tory right, could make a comeback to the political front line nearly three years after quitting in a row over his special adviser.